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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

The Civil War

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  November 4th, 2010 at 05:56 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Everyone in the media wants to talk about a Republican civil war. There are certainly feuds, but now that the election, the civil war that mostly played itself out in primaries between NRSC backed candidates and the eventual winners of most of the primaries is largely over, other than a few Senate aides and Senators upset about not being in the majority. Note to them: suck eggs.

What the media is largely ignoring is the Democrat Civil War, a sign of which is Heath Shuler stepping forward to oppose Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader.

This will end quickly for a number of reasons, including the fact that most of the Blue Dog Democrats and conservative Democrats who held back the Democrats from going full on communist over the last few years have been destroyed, wiped out, and eradicated by the voters.

So the Democrats are left with a geriatric lot of old socialists who live among coastal elites, largely decaying urban cores, or in majority-minority districts that blot the South looking like caterpillars on crystal meth. These people will not be amenable to one of the surviving Lap Blue Dogs serving as their Speaker when their growing conventional wisdom is that they lost by failing to go further left; oh, and having a bad message.

There is, of course, a much greater reason that the media and left, but I repeat myself, want to talk about a Republican Civil War. Very simply put, there are not enough Democrats left in office to have a full on civil war, but there are a great deal many more — vastly more — Republicans in office today who are both more ideologically and ethnically diverse than ever before.

Yes, Republicans can win in New England. And pretty much everywhere else too. But Democrats? They are persona non-grata in pretty much every middle class and blue collar congressional district across the country.

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COMMENTS

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  • saintgeorgegentile

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50609881-76/matheson-pelosi-election-leader.html.csp

    Matheson just had the closest campaign of his career after being challenged in the primary by the left and from the tenor of the few comments in the article he’s just going to aggravate the lefties even more. He’s facing being re-districted out of office. Will he tarnish his family’s democrat roots and turn R?

  • clintonformccain

    There are no more moderate Dems. There are no more fiscally centrist Dems. There are no more strong national security Dems. And, for the most part, there are no more white Dems. Those elements of the old Democrat party coalition have been forced out. What remains is a coalition of African Americans, Latino/a voters, and gentry liberals. All located in cities, college towns, and wealthy suburbs on the two coasts. DNC members and the Obama regime have made it quite clear that they are no longer insterested in clingy white voters.

  • chihank

    Those Un-Named GOP sources are telling Fox News that DeMint is no Kingmaker, but an Undertaker who killed GOP chances in NV and DE.

    I really wish these cowards would just reveal themselves.

    Also the GOP Senate Leadership is playing a shell game in regards to Leeza MoooCowskee should she win the AK Senate race. MooCowskee will not be on the Energy Committe. Richard Burr will the be ranking GOPer on the Energy Committee. Instead, Murkowski will be shifted to the Appropriation Committee. I wonder if Murkowski threatened to join the Dems if she didn’t get the position to pass around pork.

    The GOP Establishment is not be counted on to do the right thing.

  • phenne

    Erick, you are Da MAN!!!

    “Everyone in the media wants to talk about a Republican civil war. There are certainly feuds, but now that the election, the civil war that mostly played itself out in primaries between NRSC backed candidates and the eventual winners of most of the primaries is largely over, other than a few Senate aides and Senators upset about not being in the majority. Note to them: suck eggs.”

    Well put. I live in the largest welfare, enviro-terrorist, personal space-intruding state of the union = Clown-a-fornicate.

    Feel my pain. Now, whatever my 10-yr. horizon plan for my retirement WAS, it is NO MORE. Me thinks I need to work Plan B now …. so sad …. and retire earlier and move to Arizona.

  • msctex

    They hide behind the Democratic Party and take refuge in the once noble concept of the Classical Liberal. But all that is left now (wonderful how language so often finds a way to underscore its own truths), are reactionary, angry consistent failures who will not acknowledge the death of their own ideology.

    Do we have our own issues? Absolutely. But by God, on our side of the fence there is no reason whatsoever to think we would drag the nation and world down with us, should we not get our way. That is not the case with our opposition.

  • SteveLA

    chihank

    So what’s the history of Senators who bucked the party nominee and won the election anyway? Joe Lieberman ring any bells?

    If Murkowski wins, looks likely now, how should she be treated? Like the Donks treated Liberman or some new form of Republican banishment which includes wearing a scarlet R (RINO)? Might need her vote somewhere down the line if she wins, she’s there for 6 more years by the way, and she’ll probably serve all 6 years that she was elected to. Maybe punish those voters in Alaska that had the temerity to vote for who they wanted….where the fun in that?

  • talgus

    when they do their normal creation of an issue out of “what they want to talk about”. Michele did this well with Chrissy (tingles). We need to see more, as the MSM will not stop their attempts to create issues for Republicans to deal with. Washington Repubs, you need to stop trying to fit in and tell them to take their “civil war creation” and stick it.

  • izoneguy

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/04/exclusive-boehner-says-expects-whale-fight-obama-taxes-lame-duck-session/

    It took the dems 18 months to pass ObamaCare – they have until about the end of January to repeal it – or they are sunk.

    They don’t understand – if all we do is fight them on ObamaCare and taxes until 2012 – then so be it.

  • californiagold

    While it’s very encouraging how well republicans did on Tuesday, remember one thing. The most powerful liberal in the country still occupies the most powerful political office in the land. And Reid still runs the senate. If another seat opens on the supreme court, Obama will pick another left winger.

    More importantly, depending on how republicans play their cards, Obamacare will either be significantly defunded and gutted, or it will remain unscathed as a permanent fixture in our lives.

    The decisions republicans make during the next two years will go a long way in determining the future direction of the country. Let’s hope the republicans are up for the challenge.

  • libertarianphilip

    Sorry if this is a hijack. I saw the word ‘Progressive’ and ‘call out media’ and I pounced. If one talks to the real media please ask them to focus on TX 27 and save a first time ever Republican win in the district by a Tea Party guy Blake Farenthold (R). The margin was 799 votes to (R)with a recount.

    As far Progressives go I have attracted a lot of attention from progressive family members due to my activities at redstate.com .
    strongly suggesting I stop my coverage of this race. And yes we’re all way over 18. Thanks

  • acat

    That’s Job 1 for Conservatives for the next 2 years – keep the Dems on the ropes, don’t give ‘em any breathing room, and at the same time, convince the RINOs and the gutless D.C. wing of the GOP to grow a spine, find a pair of balls, and get in the game.

    Civil war? For that you need someone willing to fight – so far the D.C. weenies have shown only that they’re willing to try character assassination, backstabbing, and co-opting… none of which work very well with enough heat and light…

    “Stay on target…”

    Mew

  • clintonformccain

    You have to remember that “unnamed sources” may or may not be real sources. For example, a “high ranking Republcan insider” could be Arlen Spector giving an Obama rump swab journolista a quote to stir up trouble. I find that it helps stay sane to simply ignore all “unnamed sources”.

  • clintonformccain

    It’s a little hard to blame the media when RedState’s lead blog the morning after the election was a list of Republican targets for 2012. I had to go hang out at my favorite Hillary blog to get some unbridled joy at the shellacing handed to the New Democrat Party on Tuesday.

  • chamberD

    As much as I appreciate the fine work you do for the conservative cause, Erick, I think you are all wet on this one — big time; you’re in the pool.

    Certainly the lefty press wants to portray Republicans in a bad light, the better to take the search light off their bosom buddies/soul mates in the democrat wings, but there is truth in the war analogy nevertheless.

    I do not think for one moment that the establishment Repubs are going to go quietly into that good night. Hell no. They haven’t garnered chits and expertise in deal-making for decades to maintain sway over the party only to be pushed aside by a bunch of neophyte, backward conservative, starry-eyed legislators.

    They will say all the right things and make the appropriate noises to mollify the base/tea party types. But it will all be in an effort to ‘diffuse’ the situation, take the heat off their own culpability in being all too eager to walk across the aisle to sell this country down the progressive river with their clubby democrat friends. Surely you remember how fondly Orrin Hatch spoke of that dear old friend, Ted Kennedy. Look, people, the club is more important to these people than the country is. And if these newbies are going to go all Mr. Smith on them, the old-guard will put them in their place, and pronto.

    They’ll start by befriending them (ala McCain with Scott Brown, etc.) and then offer suggestions for staffing their offices (with Washington types), and then they’ll play up the committee assignments as the holy grail; before long our neophytes will be under the tutelage of beltway-insider staffers, and they’ll be easily manipulated after having passed the “what will you do to get a powerful committee assignment?” What can be given can be taken; it leaves no physical evidence, as literal arm-twisting does.

    Look. We’re sending in lambs to the slaughter. If any of you are so naive as to think otherwise, then all I have to say is that you simply have not been paying attention to the way this country has gone leftward, generation after generation, over the last 100 years.

    There is a war. And hallelujah that there is. And we conservatives intend to win it. Don’t minimize it, Erick. Rather, be watchful and rally the troops.

  • acrewood

    For more news and Commentary, check out

  • bobmontgomery

    …..on the Conservative Net in the past two days talking about how the Democrats just don’t get it, and Obama just doesn’t get it. Whether they get it or not is irrelevant. Our side has to quit begging and pleading that they “get it”. Our side has to quit hoping and expecting that the next time leadership is invited to the White House, Obama won’t say “shut up and tell me what you like about my plan Lamar, you liar. Shut up John, I won.” Our side is going to have to quit hoping that just a few more months as Commander-in-Chief will bring to the O a newfound respect for the military services and the concept of war. Our side is going to have to stop hoping and praying that the Blue Dogs will save the country.Our side is going to have to speak out when someone on our side is ridiculed for correctly stating the Constitution and/or the Declaration. It’s not Harry Reid who needs to ‘man up’. It’s our side.

  • bobmontgomery

    …..on the Conservative Net in the past two days talking about how the Democrats just don’t get it, and Obama just doesn’t get it. Whether they get it or not is irrelevant. Our side has to quit begging and pleading that they “get it”. Our side has to quit hoping and expecting that the next time leadership is invited to the White House, Obama won’t say “shut up and tell me what you like about my plan Lamar, you liar. Shut up John, I won.” Our side is going to have to quit hoping that just a few more months as Commander-in-Chief will bring to the O a newfound respect for the military services and the concept of war. Our side is going to have to stop hoping and praying that the Blue Dogs will save the country.Our side is going to have to speak out when someone on our side is ridiculed for correctly stating the Constitution and/or the Declaration. It’s not Harry Reid who needs to ‘man up’. It’s our side.

  • pantera

    will the few blue dogs switch parties and become rhinos?
    or in the case of nathan deal, a actual republican.

  • spainishirish

    A little more than a year ago, we were told:
    a) Republicans would lose Senate seats;
    b) GOP House gains would be below average for midterms, if they came about at all; and
    c) Democrats were the new majority party because of a historic realignment brought about by the genius Obama.

    Just the opposite has proven true. It was largely the energy of the Tea Party that made all that possible. The Establishment GOP did many things wrong but not everything they did was wrong. Demint was about 70 percent right but I’ll reserve judgment on him until we see whether he can put aside state comity when Lindsey Graham—if he runs again—draws a primary opponent.

    The Democratic Party is in utter shambles tonight, make no mistake about it. The establishment, including the legacy media, may want to change the subject but it cannot. Obama threw his Democratic congressional colleagues under the bus to achieve legislative aims, and most were too stupid to realize they had been led to slaughter. The Democrats’ state benches have been decimated. Their 2012 congressional prospects would have been grim enough given the math but now are bathetic.

    Yeah, we have sniping here and there on our side but there is about to be absolute war break out on their side. All the spin in the world cannot hide it.

    It’s a good time for us. It is a horrible time for them.

  • spainishirish

    A little more than a year ago, we were told:
    a) Republicans would lose Senate seats;
    b) GOP House gains would be below average for midterms, if they came about at all; and
    c) Democrats were the new majority party because of a historic realignment brought about by the genius Obama.

    Just the opposite has proven true. It was largely the energy of the Tea Party that made all that possible. The Establishment GOP did many things wrong but not everything they did was wrong. Demint was about 70 percent right but I’ll reserve judgment on him until we see whether he can put aside state comity when Lindsey Graham—if he runs again—draws a primary opponent.

    The Democratic Party is in utter shambles tonight, make no mistake about it. The establishment, including the legacy media, may want to change the subject but it cannot. Obama threw his Democratic congressional colleagues under the bus to achieve legislative aims, and most were too stupid to realize they had been led to slaughter. The Democrats’ state benches have been decimated. Their 2012 congressional prospects would have been grim enough given the math but now are bathetic.

    Yeah, we have sniping here and there on our side but there is about to be absolute war break out on their side. All the spin in the world cannot hide it.

    It’s a good time for us. It is a horrible time for them.

  • californiagold

    While it’s true that the democrats took it on the chin, most of the dems that lost were in swing districts, or blue dog democrats. The remaining democrats in the house are a solid block of liberals. As a result, I don’t think there will be a war within the democratic party. You can’t have a war if only one army exists.

    Obama/Pelosi/Reid made the calculation that the party could withstand the short term negative consequences of passing Obamacare. For them, it was far more important to pass ObamaCare than it was to keep their majority in congress. They had a once in a generation opportunity to pass their left wing dream, and they took full advantage of it – even if it meant sacrificing dozens of seats in congress. The democrats no longer have the majority, but they do have Obamacare. Republicans must never forget this.

  • ycantwebefriends

    Mr. Erickson:
    I know you don’t like see criticisms of the GOP RINOs but please answer the question. Where are the elitist GOP NRSC when it comes to backing the Republican candidate in Alaska? Where is Cornyn? Why aren’t they spending money for the re-count logistics and legal fees?

  • dudette

    dont you think some Dem Senators afraid of re-election would join us in voting a lib judge down?

  • videosavant

    He was the architect of keeping Lisa Murkowski’s committee assignments and seniority in the Party when she jumped ship. The Tea Party types in Utah need to put the pressure on NOW and keep it up for the next 2 years. We need to make an example of traitors to the cause, and make it too risky for others to play the same game.

  • cam1

    need to be targeted. And we conservatives need to scream about an end to earmarks, a repeal of Obamacare and PERMANENT tax cuts for every American.

    There are many Republicans in the senate who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jim Cornyn proved that in this last election cycle. Just when you thought that Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and John Lugar were the RINOs. We’ve got one in Georgia who needs a very close look in the next election cycle.

  • http://senatormark4.org senatormark4

    and I’m past tired of hearing that we’re going to shrink government, or remove fraud and abuse. HOW? They can’t even track the money or know what the guys that are printing it ar doing! If all our sweat income generates W-2′s and our investments/consulting generate IRS Form 1099-MISC, why is it sacred to allow “redistributed income” NOT be tracked? It is time that all government redistributed income be noted with an IRS Form 1099-GOV if we really want to get a handle on where money goes. Any bets about whether there are people making more redistributed income than working people reporting regular income?

  • southcoast

    The civil war is coming but it is going to between those who produce and those who take. Those who produce have been for too long a passive segment in society. We who produce must assert “no more!”. Those whose parasitic existence has been at the expense of those who take responsibility should be served notice the days of state funded charity at the expense neighbors are drawing to a close. It has become apparent we are NOT a nation of haves and have nots but a society of those who do and those who will not. Those who do should be rewarded for their efforts. Those who will not deserve no rewards for their inaction,

  • dmccracken

    But not after the 111th congress. Those clowns threw themselves in front of a freight train to ram their agenda through. They are probably telling themselves that they did all that and kept control of the Senate so they must be invincible.

  • sharinlite

    The Senate Leadership had better take care of business in a good and honest way. Because if they don’t they will be the next gone. I know we can rid ourselves of more RINO’s in 2012 and do a pretty good job of ridding ourselves of the rest in 2014.

  • rsturm

    This may be a bit off the purpose of the article, but there’s an issue that must be addressed…. The Primaries have been rendered moot, and/or fodder for corruption by competing parties.

    Christine O’Donnell and Rick Scott ..and John McCain are good examples: they should have been eliminated by the primaries, as they were ~quasi-conservative, or totally inept in even discussing politics, and/or had very shady if not outright corrupt backgrounds & history.

    Statistics would show that none of the above were predicted to win, but as Rush Limbaugh discovered (’07primaries?), the better candidate could be easily eliminated, if enough Dem’s (e.g.), (or just the moveon.org, robots, perhaps) registered as Republicans and voted in their primaries for the ‘least likely to be elected’ canadidate. Once the damage was done, they could always vote Dem (e.g.) in the main election.

    So McCain and O’Donnell never even had half a chance to win, and Scott was only barely salvaged by Jeb Bush and a respectable list of others who realized (and advertised) how important it was to elect an R to be Florida’s Governor.

    Final point: When the ballots were printed up, there were numerous NPA (No Party Affiliation) names added in (7or 8 for the Senate race in Florida!), so the primary ONLY served to eliminate two candidates from these long lists – both with good party affiliation – AND qualifications, if you compare them to the long list of No-Name add ons….

    Yeah, it works both ways, of course, but if each party must use backdoor and underhanded methods to defeat the other, then the process should just be eliminated

  • jim91010

    While it is true that the rising red tide did not reach California and other west coast states we began to make progress. There is NO DOUBT in my mind that the campaigns of Whitman for governor and Fiorina for senate we very poorly managed in the final weeks. Boxer has admitted that she has never had such a tough campaign. The results were still a disappointment for many of us.

    One thing the California Republican Party must do before 2012 is find conservative LOCAL candidates and support them. In my congressional district (Ca. 32nd) we had a first term ultra-lib demo, who was barely elected in a special election running. This district was considered “safe” and therefor NOT ONE piece of campaign literature went out by either candidate. (I know the dems did not send because my daughter in law originally registered D before she was enlightened and has never bothered to change. They live with us and I see the mail.) With 3 Republicans in the home, you would think we might have seen something for our candidate.

    A short, concentrated campaign here could have taken that seat. No doubt in my mind. The voting results are NOT indicative of this district. There was one candidate whose name people had heard, and one unknown that was almost a surprise when people went to the polls.

    This is why we did not financially support the Republican party in 2008. This past election cycle we made several donations to the campaigns of specific TEA party backed candidates around the nation.

  • realvoice2010

    So what if the Libs have ObamaCare! Conservatives should harp on the constitutionality of requiring americans to pay for a service. If that doesn’t hold water we need to get true conservative lawmakers to hammer away at the Czars and their anti-american statements. In addition, let the conservative talk shiows and their video taking followers attack these scoundrels 24×7. Put them on You Tube and other places in the public square where we can all see these disgusting red diaper doper babies.